The Toolstation Northern Counties East League
The Toolstation NCEL league season is expected to be extended for at least a further week because of the current unprecedented bad weather.
Snow and rain has caused mayhem for the past seven weeks and there has been four or five Saturday wipeouts. Now it has got to a stage where clubs have simply run out of available dates.
The NCEL are meeting with representatives of the FA on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the unfortunate situation. The league are believed to be ready to grant the extension, they just need FA approval.
Extending a league is pretty much like pressing nuclear button because it is unfair to those have got their games their in. There are a lot of rights and wrongs so the league deserve a huge ovation for waiting until the last possible moment.
Although the FA Vase is the main reason why Pontefract Collieries are behind with their fixtures, they could end piping AFC Mansfield to the title a week after the campaign was supposed to finish.
Hall Road Rangers, the worst-affected club by the weather, could survive courtesy of the extension.
In the instance of the race for sixth spot in Division One, Winterton Rangers have played 38 games and do not require an extra week. An extension hands an advantage to Hallam, Selby Town and possibly Glasshoughton Welfare, if the Leeds Road-men have a further game called off.
The same goes at the bottom. Worsbrough Bridge, FC Bolsover and Brigg Town all need an extra week, whereas Nostell Miners Welfare, who could easily get dragged back into relegation danger, have no fixture congestion worries.
An extra week is sensible for the likes of Liversedge and Garforth Town, plus a few more clubs, who have had an incredible amount of away games called off.